Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/534792
FORT MYERS AREA 75 75 41 41 82 80 31 851 846 Sanibel Cape Coral South Naples North Fort Meyers Sanibel Island Pine Island Captiva Island Marco Island North Captiva Island Cayo Costa Island Fort Myers RSW Airport Gulf of Mexico Charlotte Harbor Estero Bay 0 10 miles 0 10 km Naples 3 4 10 8 9 14 13 12 17 15 11 1 6 5 7 19 18 2 16 On the Gulf side of Florida, smooth stretches of beach fade seamlessly into waters that ombré into shades of turquoise while palm trees rustle overhead—a perhaps well-known but welcome— image of beachfront serenity. Yet that's where the similarity ends in this diverse destination that encompasses Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, and Captiva, Marco, and Sanibel Islands. Character begins in the region's hub: Ft. Myers, whose well- preserved River District takes you on a journey of Spanish footsteps and into Calusa Indian heritage, all along the banks of the Caloosahatchee. It continues in affluent Naples, where a historical pier marks the center of waterfront recreation and gives way to outdoor movie nights; music at nearby Cambier Park; boutique browsing on Third Street or Venetian Village; the second-most golf holes per capita in any community in the country; and water sports for days. Looking for lower-key character? Make your way past bobbing sailboats to the barrier islands across from Cape Coral to collect more than 400 types of seashells by the seashore on Sanibel Island, the "Shelling Capital of the Western World," or its sister island, Captiva. Beaches and birds abound there and on peacefully pristine Marco Island, the southernmost tip of the largest inhabited island of Florida's Ten Thousand. 34 Fort Myers Area